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The QC, Vol. 89, No. 24 • April 24, 2003

2003_04_24_001

The Voice Of Whittier College Since 1914
April 24,2003
http://web.whittier.edu/qc
Disgruntled student
demands answers
■ TRESPASSING
by Amy Stice
QC Editor-in-Chief
A student who wanted to continue an earlier meeting with College President Kate Will showed up
at her house on Tuesday, April 15
and had to be escorted away by
Campus Safety and the Whittier
Police Department.
Junior Jason Engel—whose
meeting with the president the day
before had ended due to time constraints before all of his questions
for a class project had been answered—became frustrated when
the President's Office cancelled his
next appointment time, he said. On
Tuesday evening, he went to the
Office and demanded that, because
he had a class deadline, Executive
Assistant to the President Kristin
Wiberg give him Will's home and
cell phone numbers. Wiberg refused, suggesting e-mail as another
means of contact. When Engel responded that he was going to con
front Will at her home, Wiberg
called the President to let her know
that the student was on his way.
Concerned, the President's husband, Oscar Will, met the student in
the driveway and "told him that it
was not at all appropriate just to
"I think the student just
made a mistake in judgement. I have an apology
from the student, which I
very much appreciate."
Kate Will
Whittier College
President
drop by and insist on conducting a
meeting with the President at her
house," Will said. According to
Engel, he and the president's husband argued for approximately 20
minutes, during which time Engel
felt that he was treated disparagingly. He also said that when Oscar
Will told Engel that he was trespassing, they took their conversa
tion off the property, to the curb.
Nonetheless, the president said that
the student, while not physically
violent, became "agitated and unpleasant," prompting her to call
Campus Safety and the W.P.D.
Assistant Chief of Campus Safety John Lewis said that the two
groups of law enforcement separated Oscar Will and Engel and
searched the student for weapons,
then interviewed both of them and
attempted to persuade the student to
leave. Engel says that he went to his
car once the police arrived, and
attempted to explain to the officers
why he had come to Will's home.
"I thought this was an informal
school," Engel said. "I've talked to
teachers after hours, and I thought it
was appropriate to go to the president's house 5 minutes after 5
[p.m.]"
According to Will, the student
was on her property for about an
hour. Although Engel was trespassing and Will was encouraged to
press charges, she declined to do so.
See TRESPASSING, page 6
HELENA NGO / QC PHOTO EDITOR
Seniors Megan Lahti and John Foder plant coastal sage
shrub outside the Science Building as part ofthe Earth
Day celebration. According to Associate Professor of
Biology Cheryl Swift, the plant is what would naturally be
growing near the building. "I don't think that Earth Day is
as important as it should be on campus," Swift said. "Part
of a liberal education is learning to understand the world
around you, so I'm trying to raise environmental awareness."
Diversity negates need for affirmative action
■ AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
by Christina Gutierrez
QC News Co-Editor
As the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates on whether or not it is
constitutional for the University of
Michigan to use affirmative action
as a factor in admissions, Dean of
Enrollment Urmi Kar assures students that the ruling will have little
effect on Whittier's much-discussed
diversity.
Unlike the University of Michigan, Whittier does not use affirmative action standards when considering applications, according to Kar.
"Most private colleges don't," she
said. "We use a much more personal approach to admissions. We read
every single one of them."
Kar said that it would be "ridiculous" to implement a quota system
in pools of only 1,500 applicants.
She added that the issues the Admissions Office struggles most with
are not those of diversity, but of
Two-peat
After its triumphant return
last week, Cheers and Jeers
is back again for more—
this time, it's personal.
Opinions, Page 2
affordability, Cal Grants and the
College's U.S. News and World
Report ranking.
Gats v. Bollenger, the case involving the University of Michigan, centers around Jennifer Grantz,
who applied unsuccessfully to the
College of Literature Arts and Sciences at the University of Michigan
in 1995, and Patrick Hamacher, who
was denied admission in 1997, according to the University's Web
site. Both students allege that the
Uni versity unlawfully used race and
ethnicity to discriminate against
them and not extend an offer of
admission. Grutter v. Bollenger is a
similar case involving Michigan's
Law school and unsuccessful applicant Barbara Grutter.
According to the Web site, the
University feels that it is justified in
considering the race of an applicant, stating that "A racially diverse
student body produces significant
educational benefits because of the
current state of segregation and separation along racial lines in America. Those benefits constitute a com
pelling governmental interest."
According to Kar, Whittier is
already so diverse that affirmative
action programs are not needed.
She realizes the College's location
in Southern California is one factor
contributing to Whittier's diverse
population, but this cannot be taken
for granted. "Just because you have
an institution in the middle of a
diverse population does not mean
that you will reflect that population," she said. "There are simply
some people to whom the doors [of
education] have not been opened."
She credits the College's educational mission as the main factor
in the diversity ofthe student body.
"We have a long legacy of Quaker
heritage. We are a private institution of higher education that has
had its door open to graduates like
Martin Ortiz long before other institutions did," Kar said. Because of
this, she adds, the College is more
willing than some institutions to
take chances on students who will
contribute to intellectual diversity
as well as racial diversity. "We have
a wide range of students with a wide
range of abilities, cultures and religious preferences. We try to be a
microcosm of the real world," she
said.
According to Kar, this wide
spectrum of thought and experience is important in a rapidly changing world. "As America, and specifically California's, population
changes, students will have to ask
themselves how they will deal with
that. Over the last 50 years, the
world has become very different;
there is a globalization factor now."
First-year student Vani Neela-
kantan, who is originally from India, and who used to live in Michigan, the state where Gats v. Bollenger originated, also notices and
appreciates this diversity. "I like
the fact that people are so aware of
different cultures here," she said.
"When I went to school in Michigan there was no diversity. It's a
different experience here. The Cultural Center is very supportive, and
a lot of people seem to be involved
in issues of diversity."
"Affirmative action programs
look at color of skin and not content
of character," first-year student
Adam Ekbom said. "It is important
to have students of diverse backgrounds here at Whittier, but race in
particular should not be a deciding
factor."
The Gats v. Bollenger and Grutter v. Bollenger cases are expected
to be decided by July 1, 2003, the
end of the current Supreme Court
term.
News you can use
The Newsom Award winners
are in. Find out who they are and
read excerpts on Page 3.
Correction
In last week's article about
vandalism in the art building, Associate Professor of Art and Art
History David Sloan's name was
misspelled. The QC apologizes
for the error.
ISSUE 24* VOLUME 89
Asian Sensation
We've got some great pictures of
Asian Night along with a brand-
new Cribs for your reading
pleasure.
Campus Life, Page 7
Once you go Black...
...you never go back...to the
Pixies that is. Singer Frank
Black's concert rocks harder
than Dokken.
A&E, Page 10
Woman of Steel
QC Co-Sports Editor Allison
Roth sits down with senior Nationals thrower Cathy Burt to get
some insight into her sucess.
Sports, Page 16

The Voice Of Whittier College Since 1914
April 24,2003
http://web.whittier.edu/qc
Disgruntled student
demands answers
■ TRESPASSING
by Amy Stice
QC Editor-in-Chief
A student who wanted to continue an earlier meeting with College President Kate Will showed up
at her house on Tuesday, April 15
and had to be escorted away by
Campus Safety and the Whittier
Police Department.
Junior Jason Engel—whose
meeting with the president the day
before had ended due to time constraints before all of his questions
for a class project had been answered—became frustrated when
the President's Office cancelled his
next appointment time, he said. On
Tuesday evening, he went to the
Office and demanded that, because
he had a class deadline, Executive
Assistant to the President Kristin
Wiberg give him Will's home and
cell phone numbers. Wiberg refused, suggesting e-mail as another
means of contact. When Engel responded that he was going to con
front Will at her home, Wiberg
called the President to let her know
that the student was on his way.
Concerned, the President's husband, Oscar Will, met the student in
the driveway and "told him that it
was not at all appropriate just to
"I think the student just
made a mistake in judgement. I have an apology
from the student, which I
very much appreciate."
Kate Will
Whittier College
President
drop by and insist on conducting a
meeting with the President at her
house," Will said. According to
Engel, he and the president's husband argued for approximately 20
minutes, during which time Engel
felt that he was treated disparagingly. He also said that when Oscar
Will told Engel that he was trespassing, they took their conversa
tion off the property, to the curb.
Nonetheless, the president said that
the student, while not physically
violent, became "agitated and unpleasant," prompting her to call
Campus Safety and the W.P.D.
Assistant Chief of Campus Safety John Lewis said that the two
groups of law enforcement separated Oscar Will and Engel and
searched the student for weapons,
then interviewed both of them and
attempted to persuade the student to
leave. Engel says that he went to his
car once the police arrived, and
attempted to explain to the officers
why he had come to Will's home.
"I thought this was an informal
school," Engel said. "I've talked to
teachers after hours, and I thought it
was appropriate to go to the president's house 5 minutes after 5
[p.m.]"
According to Will, the student
was on her property for about an
hour. Although Engel was trespassing and Will was encouraged to
press charges, she declined to do so.
See TRESPASSING, page 6
HELENA NGO / QC PHOTO EDITOR
Seniors Megan Lahti and John Foder plant coastal sage
shrub outside the Science Building as part ofthe Earth
Day celebration. According to Associate Professor of
Biology Cheryl Swift, the plant is what would naturally be
growing near the building. "I don't think that Earth Day is
as important as it should be on campus," Swift said. "Part
of a liberal education is learning to understand the world
around you, so I'm trying to raise environmental awareness."
Diversity negates need for affirmative action
■ AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
by Christina Gutierrez
QC News Co-Editor
As the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates on whether or not it is
constitutional for the University of
Michigan to use affirmative action
as a factor in admissions, Dean of
Enrollment Urmi Kar assures students that the ruling will have little
effect on Whittier's much-discussed
diversity.
Unlike the University of Michigan, Whittier does not use affirmative action standards when considering applications, according to Kar.
"Most private colleges don't," she
said. "We use a much more personal approach to admissions. We read
every single one of them."
Kar said that it would be "ridiculous" to implement a quota system
in pools of only 1,500 applicants.
She added that the issues the Admissions Office struggles most with
are not those of diversity, but of
Two-peat
After its triumphant return
last week, Cheers and Jeers
is back again for more—
this time, it's personal.
Opinions, Page 2
affordability, Cal Grants and the
College's U.S. News and World
Report ranking.
Gats v. Bollenger, the case involving the University of Michigan, centers around Jennifer Grantz,
who applied unsuccessfully to the
College of Literature Arts and Sciences at the University of Michigan
in 1995, and Patrick Hamacher, who
was denied admission in 1997, according to the University's Web
site. Both students allege that the
Uni versity unlawfully used race and
ethnicity to discriminate against
them and not extend an offer of
admission. Grutter v. Bollenger is a
similar case involving Michigan's
Law school and unsuccessful applicant Barbara Grutter.
According to the Web site, the
University feels that it is justified in
considering the race of an applicant, stating that "A racially diverse
student body produces significant
educational benefits because of the
current state of segregation and separation along racial lines in America. Those benefits constitute a com
pelling governmental interest."
According to Kar, Whittier is
already so diverse that affirmative
action programs are not needed.
She realizes the College's location
in Southern California is one factor
contributing to Whittier's diverse
population, but this cannot be taken
for granted. "Just because you have
an institution in the middle of a
diverse population does not mean
that you will reflect that population," she said. "There are simply
some people to whom the doors [of
education] have not been opened."
She credits the College's educational mission as the main factor
in the diversity ofthe student body.
"We have a long legacy of Quaker
heritage. We are a private institution of higher education that has
had its door open to graduates like
Martin Ortiz long before other institutions did," Kar said. Because of
this, she adds, the College is more
willing than some institutions to
take chances on students who will
contribute to intellectual diversity
as well as racial diversity. "We have
a wide range of students with a wide
range of abilities, cultures and religious preferences. We try to be a
microcosm of the real world," she
said.
According to Kar, this wide
spectrum of thought and experience is important in a rapidly changing world. "As America, and specifically California's, population
changes, students will have to ask
themselves how they will deal with
that. Over the last 50 years, the
world has become very different;
there is a globalization factor now."
First-year student Vani Neela-
kantan, who is originally from India, and who used to live in Michigan, the state where Gats v. Bollenger originated, also notices and
appreciates this diversity. "I like
the fact that people are so aware of
different cultures here," she said.
"When I went to school in Michigan there was no diversity. It's a
different experience here. The Cultural Center is very supportive, and
a lot of people seem to be involved
in issues of diversity."
"Affirmative action programs
look at color of skin and not content
of character," first-year student
Adam Ekbom said. "It is important
to have students of diverse backgrounds here at Whittier, but race in
particular should not be a deciding
factor."
The Gats v. Bollenger and Grutter v. Bollenger cases are expected
to be decided by July 1, 2003, the
end of the current Supreme Court
term.
News you can use
The Newsom Award winners
are in. Find out who they are and
read excerpts on Page 3.
Correction
In last week's article about
vandalism in the art building, Associate Professor of Art and Art
History David Sloan's name was
misspelled. The QC apologizes
for the error.
ISSUE 24* VOLUME 89
Asian Sensation
We've got some great pictures of
Asian Night along with a brand-
new Cribs for your reading
pleasure.
Campus Life, Page 7
Once you go Black...
...you never go back...to the
Pixies that is. Singer Frank
Black's concert rocks harder
than Dokken.
A&E, Page 10
Woman of Steel
QC Co-Sports Editor Allison
Roth sits down with senior Nationals thrower Cathy Burt to get
some insight into her sucess.
Sports, Page 16